Shadow Of A Doubt
by She So Write
Summary: Edward Masen woke up to a nightmare…    With blood on his hands and clothes, Edward woke up next to a lifeless body. With no recollection of what happened; it is up to Isabella Swan, defense attorney, to figure out the truth.    If only it was that simple
1. The Crime

Banner:.com/albums/h357/summercree/shadow_of_a_

Summary:Edward Masen woke up to a nightmare…

With blood on his hands and clothes, Edward woke up next to a lifeless body. With no recollection of what happened; it is up to Isabella Swan, defense attorney, to figure out the truth.

If only it was that simple.

With the press tearing down her client's good boy image and her blinding chemistry with the A-list actor, it's proving to be difficult. Things get even more complicated when she becomes the target of someone's vicious motives.

Author note: So sorry about my two other stories. I had a huge break down with my beta about direction of how the story would go until I just didn't want to write it ever! I hpe you enjoy this one!

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><p>Is it possible to be passionate about more than one thing?<p>

I asked myself this question as I watched my father greet his most important customer, the mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa. I really wanted to be the one in that white coat with the word chef embroidered on the right side of my double breasted jacket. I admired my father for retiring from his position as chief of L.A.P.D to open up his own restaurant. We both shared a love for cooking, but could I really quit law?

"Those sweet potatoes were heavenly!" Jacob exclaimed stealing me from my self- doubting thoughts. Taking his napkin from his lap he tossed it on the table.

"Almost as good as your sweet potato pancakes."

I smiled. "My sweet potato pancakes are legendary, and you loved them."

Jacob raised an eyebrow. "Hey I still love them, it's just your dad is hands down the best cook."

He patted his firm and flat belly. I studied my ex-fiancé Jacob as he sat across from me at the white linen covered table. The candle light in the middle illuminated his face, show casing the faint dark stubble that lined his beard.

Jacob was what you would call a "pretty boy" and he knew it. With that hard jaw line and those lush lips paired with those dreamy eyes. He was a charmer and even being engaged to me didn't stop him from flirting with the ladies. Jacob often questions why we didn't work and I often remind him he suffered from a disease called "can't-keep-it-in-your-pants."

"I miss your cooking, among other things." He gave a sly wink before sipping from his wineglass.

"Among other things?" I questioned with a raised brow. I loved the fact that despite all of the ill feelings and a messy breakup we were still able to sit down and have adult conversations. We could never make it work as a couple, but we were excellent business partners. Jacob was a wonderful defense attorney; we complimented each other in our defense styles. Where he was calm and stealth, I was what some others referred to as a shark in a skirt. I was out to get my client off, whether they were guilty or not.

"Ms. Swan." a waitress approached our table. She had to be new because she used my last name instead of my first. "There is a phone call for you."

"I'm busy at the moment. Can you please tell them to call back?" I tried not to sound annoyed it wasn't her fault someone was rude enough to interrupt my dinner.

"He says it's an emergency." She whispered. I gave Jacob an apologetic look as I headed toward the kitchen.

"Isabella Swan speaking." I held the phone closely to my ear trying to draw out the loud sounds in the kitchen.

"Isabella, its Carlisle Cullen." I let out a sigh of relief. It had to be a business emergency if he was calling.

"Carlisle this better be a damn good emergency." I grumbled.

"It is Isabella, my client was arrested. I need you."

"Which client Carlisle?"

He sighed. "Edward Masen. He's a good kid Isabella there is no way he could have done what they're saying."

I was taken aback for a second. I did not expect him to say that name. Edward Masen was an A-list actor best known for his role as Poseidon in the movie We Were Gods. He was often described in the press as being enigmatic. Other than that not much else was known about him, not even his past. Carlisle worked hard to keep his name away from bad press so I knew Carlisle was sweating bullets over his arrest.

I let out a heavy sigh. Through the small window on the swing door of the kitchen I could see the back of Jacob's head as he sat at the table. I knew he would be upset about me cutting out early for a case, but what can I say? I am passionate about my job.

Carlisle explained the case to me quickly as I rushed out of the restaurant. Mr. Masen met a girl at a popular night club last night; they had drinks and went back to her place. He was so intoxicated he could only remember bits and piece of the night. Carlisle said the next thing Edward knew the girl woke up screaming and badly beaten. I had to go down to the jail where Edward was booked and to get more of the details before I had to appear in court. He was booked on assault and rape, two things that would not look good in the press.

The sound of the metal jail doors were jarring no matter how many times I heard them as I entered the L.A. county jail. This scene in particular was heartbreaking. There were a few men in the jail cell, some of them looked drunk or strung out; yet out of all of them one stuck out like a sore thumb.

I had met Edward once, when dropping off a legal document for Carlisle. The meeting was brief but memorable enough. I was charmed by his accent and high cheek bones, I was also reeling from a break up and wouldn't allow myself to think of him as nothing more than Carlisle's client. Right now, was no time to worry about my hormones as I approached, there sat Edward, with his head in his hands.

"Mr. Masen." I called out to him. He looked up; the faint purple marks signified the heavy distress he was under. I noticed the cut above his left eye and a faint bruise pattern that began forming on his cheek. He stood tall but looked defeated the front of his khaki colored shirt stained with bright red splotches. My heart sank as I noticed them; it would be hard to prove him innocent if he went before the judge looking like that. If anyone could get him off it would be me, hopefully I could argue it down to a simple battery charge, but it wouldn't be easy.

"Did Carlisle send you?" He asked searching my brown eyes with his green ones. I nodded, reaching inside of my trench coat and brought out a small notebook and pen to take notes. His hands were hand cuffed, along with his feet just like every other male in the cell. He would get no special treatment just because he was a celebrity; in fact it was more likely for him to be treated worse than any other person in there with him.

I stood near the blue line that separated client from lawyer. "Yes he did. I'm Isabella Swan."

Panic and fear flashed across his green eyes. "I am innocent! Yes, I did go home with her but the sex was consensual and-"

I stopped him quickly. "I don't want to know about the crime. Saying it in this place where people can hear us talking could prove to be dangerous."

Edward looked at me dumbfound so I explained. "Ever hear of jail house snitches? Some one could say they heard you confess even if you didn't; just to get a lighter sentence so say nothing while you're in here."

He nodded in agreement.

"So Mr. Masen, all I need from you is your personal information, age and where were you raised."

"Twenty-four and raised in Chicago."

"Single? Or dating someone?" I asked pen in hand.

"It's complicated right at the moment. I have no kids; I've never been in trouble before."

I took notes without glancing up at him. "No juvenile record I should know about?"

"No nothing." He assured.

I placed the pen and notepad back in the inside pocket of my trench coat. "Mr. Masen, arraignment doesn't start until early tomorrow morning. I'm pretty sure the prosecutor will ask for no bail."

"No bail?" He burst out, I could see his eyes welling up with tears. An instinct that never kicked in before suddenly went into overdrive. For the first time ever, I wanted to comfort a client; I was beginning to believe that maybe he was innocent. "I swear I did not touch her, I would never hurt a woman."

"Calm down Mr. Masen." I tried soothing him the best way I could while he was behind steel bars, but there was no convincing him. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he tried to re-gain his composure.

His full bottom lip trembled as he whispered. "Could you tell Carlisle I'm okay? I don't want him to worry."

Against my better judgment, I agreed. "Sure."

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><p>Despite good intentions in most, everyone lies.<p>

For me, it was a part of my profession. The justice system was no longer built on the basis of fairness or innocence until proven guilty. It was about which lawyer had the finesse to find a loop-hole for their client. I admit when I first started, I set out to free innocent victims; I was still wet behind the ears. Soon I realized that the prosecutor, the police, and the judges were just as crooked as the clients I was defending.

Did I believe Edward Masen was one hundred percent innocent? No, because no man was without sin. His story also did seem to add up. Something happen that night, there was something he was neglecting to tell me. I would worry about that later; however, right now I had to make sure I could persuade the judge to give him a reasonable bail at his arraignment.

I strolled into the L.A court house with the rest of the morning crowd stopping once I reached the security point. I placed my car keys and briefcase in a bucket so it could pass through the x-ray machine as I stepped through the metal detector. Once through the security guard patted me down. I picked up my things and briskly walked toward the court room where I was scheduled to appear.

I looked down at my watch. _Ten minutes early._ Just enough time to figure out what prosecutor the district attorney sent over for slaughter.

"Isabella Swan, don't tell me they sent you in for the Masen case." I promptly turned on my black three-inch heels to meet eyes with Tyler Crowley.

I worked on a case where Tyler was the prosecutor before and we tended to get combative. He was the D.A. golden boy, known for being able to crush the competition. He had gotten the best of Jacob plenty of times, but he's never been able to get to me. Never stops him from trying.

"I heard through the grape-vine that you liked Chai-tea." He flashed me a toothy grin showing off a row of pearly white teeth as he held out the coffee cup. I wasn't naïve, I could tell when a man was using charm to get his way.

I took the cup from his hand. "Thank you councilor, but flattery gets you know where and it definitely won't help you in this case."

He chuckled and turned to me with a cocky smirk. "Oh Isabella, my charm has noting to do with this. I'm already confident that I'm going to win. Plus I got the information that you were defending him last night and my mother raised me to be a gentlemen." He flirted with ease and grace but I could tell that the proverbial shoe was about to drop. "Unlike your client. The tea was just a gift, hoping you wouldn't have any hard feelings after this case." There it was.

"Oh, so you're that type of guy?" I turned behind me and casually tossed the cup in the waste bin and placed my hand on my hip. "The kind that stabs in the front instead of the back?" I like that it makes what I'm about to say a lot more easily. You're going to lose."

Tyler gripped his chest. "Ouch councilor you wound me with your words. How about this, after I bury your client I take you out to a nice dinner?"

I laughed. Not even if he had James Deans' prick would I cross that line. "Sorry, Crowley I don't mix business and pleasure."

"Not what I hear." He didn't think I heard him and I let him believe it.

With a smile I countered. "My client is innocent. No priors and an asset to his community."

We began walking toward the court room.

"Please, he's an actor. He's just _acting_ innocent. How is an actor an asset to anyone? If you saw the victims face you would know that he is in no way next to innocent." Tyler whispered as he held the door open for me.

There was a case going on, I listened in as Judge Aro sentenced him. He went back to his chambers. As the court room cleared out I turned back to Tyler. "I want the evidence by the end of the day, no later."

I snapped before we both approached our tables.

Mr. Masen was ushered in and sat next to me. His bronze hair seemed to be smoothed back, the faint bruise was turning a deeper shade of purple. He looked like a frightened puppy in his gray prison uniform. When the doors open to the court room he jumped a little, I sat beside him and leaned over.

"Are you alright Mr. Masen?"

He looked at me with those panicked green eyes. "I can't go back there Ms. Swan."

I touched his arm trying to relax him, he didn't ward off from the touch. "Relax Mr. Masen. Take in some deep breaths."

He nodded his head while inhaling, his breaths were a bit shaky but he seemed to be calming down.

"You're going to be just fine Mr. Masen. I will try and get them to set a reasonable bail."

He looked behind him and I followed his line of vision. He gazed at Carlisle, if I had looked away a minute earlier I would have missed the look they exchanged. The judge called the case before I got a chance to question what that look was about.

Tyler announced his presence as the prosecution and I announced mine as the defense lawyer. Tyler seemed to up the charges from assault to attempted murder which seemed extreme to me, but I think the D.A wanted to make an example out of Edward. With all the Lindsey Lohan and the Chris Browns getting off so easy, I wonder why they decided to bring the axe of justice down on my client's neck?

Of course Tyler went on to ask for no bail. I jumped at the chance to address that. "Your honor I'd like to say my client is not a flight risk, and is an asset to his community. He also has ties here, and has no plans to flee."

Tyler countered, "His hometown is in Chicago not L.A. and he has the means to flee if given the chance."

Judge Aro seemed to take it into consideration before speaking. "We won't give him the chance to flee. I will set bail at ten-thousand and make sure the defendant wears a court ordered ankle tracking device."

"Judge I can assure you my client wants to fight the false charges against him."

"Save it for court Ms. Swan." He hit the gravel and dismissed us.

I turned to Edward who seemed relieved. "Thank you so much Ms. Swan."

I smiled at his grateful disposition. "This is only step one Mr. Masen, as soon as you post bail call my office and set up a meeting; and remember not to say anything to anyone especially the press."

I gathered my briefcase and stopped by Tyler's table. I reminded him that I wanted the evidence.

The next case was called and in the court room, Edward Masen was quickly forgotten.

By the time I made it outside the court house it was a completely different scene. I had watched from afar as a media circus followed Carlisle Cullen to his car. In Hollywood the man was like Midas, everything he touched turned to shiny, 24kt gold. This case was a nick on his Teflon armor.

His wife stepped out of the black Ashton Martin Vanquish with tinted windows. I admired the regal elegance of Esme Cullen. She was the picture of perfection in her dark Chanel glass and little black Yves Saint Laurent dress. Esme and Carlisle shared a small but intimate hug before Carlisle entered the back of the vehicle. Our gaze locked among the sea of flashing bulbs and she gave me a small nod before she got in and closed the door.

It became clear that I wasn't dealing with my regular career criminal clients. These people had an image to protect and came from a great deal of wealth. This would be the case that would either make me or break me depending on the verdict. Since I didn't let anything break me, I was determined to win.


	2. The Facts

My law office was located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, off of Figueroa and Sixth Street. I was late like always since traffic seemed to be backed up on Wilshire and there was just no getting around it. It was ten o'clock and I was scheduled to meet Edward Masen at my office; since I was already late, everyone had went on ahead and gathered in the conference room. Upon entering I greeted Mr. Masen and his manager, Mr. Cullen. My private investigator, Rosalie Hale, was also there with the police report and other items that the D.A's office still hadn't gotten around to sending me.

"Lovely to see you gentlemen. I apologize for my tardiness," I sighed, as I sat across from Edward.

Gone were the bloody clothing, prison uniform, and shackles; the man who was presented to me epitomized young Hollywood. Dressed in black denim and a navy polo he looked more confident, nothing like the panicked boy that I met sitting in a jail cell. His locks were in his signature state of disarray; he even leaned back and casually cracked a smile.

I sat my briefcase on the table, pulling out a chair to sit next to Rosalie. Preparing to get down to business, I began. "I'm glad to see you here Mr. Cullen, it's good to know that you'll stand by your client," I said sweetly.

Mr. Cullen was a smart man and knew I had an angle. "What's the problem?"

"We can't talk openly about the case with you being here. If the prosecutor finds out, they could subpoena you," I explained.

Mr. Cullen looked taken aback. "It doesn't matter because Edward is innocent."

I smiled politely at him. "I have no doubt that he is, still I don't need the case to be compromised."

I needed to separate my working relationship with Mr. Cullen from the relationship I h with Edward. Honestly, I didn't understand why he was here in the first place; their relationship seemed to be unnatural for a typical manager/client scenario.

Mr. Cullen looked at Edward before standing. "Fine. I understand Isabella. Who do I make the check out to for your services?" He asked.

"You make it out to Edward."

Both men looked baffled so I explained. "He's my client; I do everything by the book, Mr. Cullen. You know this and since this is Edwards's case, I'm going to need all payments to be made through him."

Carlisle raised his eyebrows in frustration, as he let out a sigh. "Of course. I'll be in the hallway, son."

_Son… interesting choice of words_.

The clutch on the shoulder and the worried look seemed to make s. Carlisle had some fatherly attachment to Edward. I shook off my thoughts as the door closed and got back to the task at hand.

"Edward, your arraignment will be in two weeks. 's where you will enter a plea," I began.

"It will be not guilty," Edward heatedly responded.

"I'm sure Mr. Masen, but we have to decide whethe to waive your right to a speedy trial or prolong it."

Edward's busy brows furrowed. "What do you think I should do?"

"It's completely up to you, Mr. Masen. If our case is weak, prolonging the trial gives us time to make a stronger case."

"But," Edward stalled a beat before continuing. "What if they dropped the charges?"

"Sorry to interject," Rosalie said. "But there is no way they are dropping the charges. The D.A has actually upped them."

Edward lulled his head back as if he was defeated. "I don't want this to go on forever. The longer it's in the press, it just continues to taint my image."

"We understand your frustration, Mr. Masen. Rosalie and I are here to help," I reassured him.

Rosalie turned to me. "Perhaps the district attorney's office will put a plea bargain on the table?"

"I don't want a plea bargain. That is basically saying I am guilty, and I'm not."

Rosalie cleared her throat nervously. "I assure you with Isabella on your team, you won't be convicted of any charges."

"I'm sure of that myself. That's why I wanted her to be my lawyer." His tone seemed annoyed, but he didn't let his face show it. I think Rosalie took the hint because she opened the file and changed the subject.

"Let's get some things straight, Mr. Masen. Rosalie has taken law classes and is the at what she does. We are all here to help you."

Edward lowered his gaze from mine. "Sorry, I'm just stressed."

"Understandable, Mr. Masen. Shall we move on?" I looked at Rosalie who nodded. "First things first Edward. alk me through your Friday morning."

A baffled look painted his face for a moment before he spoke. "Don't you mean that night?"

"No, I want to get a feel of how the day began." I pulled out my notepad with my previous notes on it and waited for his response.

He began to explain. "I woke up that morning and went to the gym; my trainer can vouch for me. After that, I went a meeting with Universal studio discuss a new role. Then I went home and slept before getting ready to go out."

"That brings us to that night?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yes, we went-"

Puzzled, I asked, "Who are we?"

"I'm sorry, my friend Emmett and I," he clarified.

"What kind of car were you driving?"

Edward looked confused. "Why does that matter, Mrs. Swan?"

I politely smiled. "Every little detail matters, Mr. Masen. So what kind of car was it?"

"An Aston Martin V8 Vantage S coupe if that matters also," he replied sarcastically.

"Every detail, Mr. Masen," I reminded him. "Please continue."

"We went to Midnight Sun, a new night club on…Sunset." He mumbled the last part as if venturing down on Sunset Boulevard was beneath him. "I sat at the bar with Emmett for a while before he started chatting up a blonde. They left early, but he left me the car so I could get home safely. I sat at the bar by myself for a while, and then she came over to me."

This time I turned to Rosalie. "What's the victim's name?"

"Victoria Sutherland," he replied.

I turned back to Edward. "So did you guys talk?"

"Yes, but only for a little while. She told me she liked my work in the film Mirrors. I thanked her, but said nothing more because I noticed she came in with a guy."

"Rosalie did they mention another guy in the police report?"

Rosalie searched the file for a minute before shaking her head. "No mention of another guy at the bar."

"Can you tell me what he looked like?"

Edward thought about it for minute. "He had short blond hair… I couldn't really see his eyes. He was tall…and had a medium buil. Definitely the same height as me."

"And this guy she was with saw her approach you?" I asked trying to get more information out of him. Out the corner of my eye I saw Rosalie taking notes also.

She stopped writing, lifting her pen from her legal pad, and stared at him. "In the police report Victoria said you two had met before."

Edward's mouth became tight with frustration. "If we did, I don't remember. I've met so many people."

I watched him closely trying to see if there were any cracks on his surface. "What happened next?"

"She slipped me a card with her number on it, told me to call around ten; that way she would ditch the guy she was with. Around midnight, I left and went to her place, and to be honest, I wasn't thinking with the correct head. Anyway, I went to her place, we had drinks… and engaged in…um sexual intercourse." Edward held the side of his head. "My memory becomes fuzzy after that. I woke up in the bathroom with blood on my hands." He paused another beat; his voice went low as he continued. "It was everywhere, the sink, the walls and the tub. I stood up slowly because my head was throbbing in pain right on the base of my skull, it felt like someone had hit me with something. I walked out of the bathroom and noticed Victoria spread eagle naked, and bloody on the bed; her face looked like it had been badly beaten."

Rosalie slid the picture of Victoria's face toward me. Her left eye was swollen shut; her bottom lip was visibly cut and swollen as well. She had multiple cuts along her face, but I couldn't make out much because it was a photocopy of the picture and not the real thing.

"Victoria was breathing, but it was shallow like she was wheezing," Edward added. "I began trying to wake her up; she wasn't moving or talking so I called 911. The operator told me to wait, so I did."

I was trying to picture it in my head. "Did you try CPR or anything else while you waited?"

"No, I don't know CPR, I just prayed and waited," Edward said. "The police came and said they wanted to question me at the station. I told them my story over and over, but they still wouldn't believe me. They left me in the interrogation room for an hour by myself before I demanded to call a lawyer."

I began to play devil's advocate. "Why call a lawyer if you did nothing wrong?"

"Because I could see they thought I was guilty. I could tell I was their primary suspect, they weren't interested in finding the real person who did this."

I made eye contact with Rosalie. Our case at this moment was weak. If we put Edward on the stand with the story he was telling now; I was sure we would lose. Something wasn't adding up, and I was apprehensive about the details he was dishing out. There was no motive.

I knew Rosalie and I would have to do some major digging.

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><p>Thanks to tracey for her help!<p> 


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